The Gingerbread Cycle by Jasmine Sawers
A retelling of Hansel and Gretel, both before and after.
Walking Shoes by Mariann Evans
After finding her husband’s old walking shoes, a feisty elderly lady with dementia takes a trip to visit him in hospital, but finds a heart-breaking truth waiting for her instead.
A Night for the Saints by Heather Lee Shaw
A mother and daughter, two moments in time, both running towards and from family.
Transmogrification by Jael Montellano
Queer immigrant lovers attend a phantasmagoric festival on an eve that their relationship shifts.
It’s in the Blood by Elizabeth de la Portilla
One woman’s blood donation kindles memories of the past and her beloved father.
A Hauf an a Hauf by Peter Bennett
An elderly man reflects on his past and, by extension, his current place in life as he goes to collect his pension and meet a friend for an afternoon drink. (Extract from Peter Bennett’s upcoming novel.)
A City Called Mine by Ranjini Nair
The cities in which we live often have profound effects on our inner lives, particularly when we are made to feel as if we don’t belong.
Mammalia by Helen Bowie
With the desertion of the vermin-people’s utopia, the vermin-children take to their own intergenerational justice, beginning anew through the art of the piper’s song.
In Tempest, or the Night of Nightingales by Jac Harmon
When a stranger comes to stay in Port Tawe, his painting elicits a stream of painful memories and violent melodies for an injured musician.
All Hope Abandon! by Suki Hollywood
Spray and wipe. Spray and wipe. Nemesis cleaned the conveyor belt until it glistened like the back of a killer whale.
Flooding by Eve Darwood
A mother struggles to cope as the chaos in her home echoes the chaos in her head.
Propositions for the Living by Armaan
A writer enters self-imposed exile after writing what he believes to be a terrible book. But what will become of the world when the book reaches the shelves—and will its creator recognize his impact upon returning to an entirely changed society?
Encounters with a clairvoyant, or celestial navigation by Abigail George
They were warned to stay away, but what happens when infatuation leads to confrontation?
Floating Iris by Jade Mutyora
Arminda has a startling power. But is it enough to rescue the woman she loves?
Anti-Social by Ely Percy
When Harpreet posts a video online in a stance against racism, their friend begins to see the benefits of social media – but will Harpreet’s fame last?
Absolution on the Number 23 by Fee Johnstone
An unexpected encounter throws up past shames and future possibilities on the number 23 bus…
A Mother’s Love in the Time of Coronavirus by Kelly Liszt
Kelly Liszt’s short personal essay details her journey through postpartum depression when her daughter was born to being a mother to a tween in the time of Covid-19.
The Man on Fire by Noah Singh-Harris
The dream does not leave his mind with the rising daylight; it sinks in deeper, taking hold of him and forcing him to view the truth of what he had been stopped from doing.
The Other Night, on a Run, I Saw a Dying by Natalie Beisner
– raccoon and thought of you, how you lay in the hospital bed, breathing so heavy, hooked up to that machine, and the raccoon breathed the same way, so if I closed my eyes I would’ve thought it was human
Octopus by Magali Roman
In Paris, every advertisement is a painting. The city is wallpapered with them: vibrant, colorful posters that grow like moss on every surface.
Okay by Dawn Taggett-Burton
Fiction | Dear Sleuth Readers: The following content is an excerpt from a letter currently on display in the National Museum of Tourism and Immigration.